The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, is still bitter over not being chosen as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s running mate in the 2023 elections.
Wike made the claim during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, on Tuesday.
He said Lawal had personally visited him in Port Harcourt while he was governor of Rivers State to express his displeasure.
“After President Tinubu chose Shettima as his VP, Babachir Lawal visited me in my home in Port Harcourt. He was angry because he thought the president would choose him as his VP,” Wike stated.
His comments came amid an ongoing war of words between Lawal and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Recently, Lawal had stirred controversy by insisting that the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, actually won the 2023 presidential election. According to him, “based on available facts,” Obi was the rightful winner of the poll that produced Tinubu as Nigeria’s 16th president.
In response, the APC dismissed Lawal’s claims, describing him as “the latest political content creator cum soothsayer who is gasping for political oxygen.”
The party further alleged that Lawal’s criticism of Tinubu was rooted in personal grievances after he was overlooked for the vice-presidential slot.
Wike has now echoed the APC’s position, stressing that Lawal’s anger stems from being sidelined during Tinubu’s selection of Senator Kashim Shettima as running mate.
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